Leo Beebe, the PR expert for Ford, wanted to capture the trio as they crossed the finish line to commemorate the victory. So he gave Shelby the order to tell Miles…
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In actual life, the competition between Ford and Ferrari was just as acrimonious.
The main focus of “Ford vs. Ferrari,” Slate’s exploration of reality vs. fiction, was on the animosity between Henry Ford II of the Ford Motor Company and Enzo Ferrari of Ferrari, which was almost as terrible in real life as it was on screen.
The “Ford vs. Ferrari” story begins when Ford makes an acquisition bid for Ferrari but is rejected and insulted by Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari actually called Ford II and the other owners of the company “pig-headed bosses” and “worthless sons of w***es” in person. It was described as “a rant that I had never seen or heard before in my entire life and have not done so since” by Ferrari’s attorney, Franco Gozzi (via Slate).
In contrast to the movie, when he declares that Ferrari will be buried “100 feet under the finish line at Le Mans,” Ford reportedly responded to the affront with more grace in real life. Ford actually allegedly said, “Okay, we’ll kick his ass. We’ll compete against him.”
In addition, Shelby approached Ford in real life, unlike the movie, when Iacocca sought Shelby to help Ford design a race car that could defeat Ferrari. Shelby submitted the idea to Iaccoca and requested $25,000 to build two cars, according to the book “Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans,” which is the basis for the film “Ford vs. Ferrari.”
Ford vs. Ferrari: Bringing the Battle to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Racetrack
Ford built a sports car to defeat Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans after being humiliated by how the situation played out. That is how the storied GT40 race car was created.
The task of building the sports car was given to Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Group in the UK, which produced it rapidly but not very well. The initial GT40 units were extremely quick, but also unreliable and unstable. The brakes gave me the willies. In 1964 and 1965, Ford didn’t see any advancements at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
When Ford and Los Angeles-based automotive designer Carroll Shelby teamed, everything changed. Together with Ken Miles, a fellow engineer, Shelby completely redesigned the GT40. Together, the handling, stability, and aerodynamics were improved by the two experts. Their experiments were particularly fascinating, notably the one where they tested the aerodynamics by taping wool streamers to the outside, as was depicted in the Ford v. Ferrari film.
But once Ford engineer Phil Remington adjusted the brakes, the GT40 Mk II was prepared for the last test. On the dynamometer, a device that measures power, force, and speed and was ground-breaking in its day, the crew drove the engine for around 24 to 48 hours. The new era in the Ford vs. Ferrari competition started when the machine indicated that the Ford GT40 Mk II was more than capable of finishing the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1966, Ford trounced Ferrari without exerting any effort. Additionally, the famous GT40 Mk II took the top three spots. That year and the following, Henry II was able to enjoy the fruits of his fruitful (and vindictive) endeavor. Ferrari finished second in the 1967 Le Mans, behind the Ford GT40 Mk IV. Miles sadly passed away at a Ford test in 1966, preventing him from leading another another Ford to victory.
What’s False About Ford Vs. Ferrari Is This
Like every other reality-based film, Ford Vs Ferrari’s main plot was liberally laced with made-up side stories.
The most thrilling film to watch in 2019 was Ford vs. Ferrari. Starring Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, and Caitriona Balfe in a sports drama directed by James Mangold. The movie Ford vs. Ferrari was based on the actual event of Ford’s first-ever victory over Ferrari, an Italian rival, at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans.
The factual book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, And Their Battle For Speed And Glory at LeMans by A. J. Baime served as the basis for the motion picture. Christian Bale was cast in the role of race car driver Ken Miles, while Matt Damon took on the part of car designer Carroll Shelby.
Ford actually recruited Shelby and Miles to develop, modify, and race the car against Ferrari, who had essentially proven itself as unstoppable forever. Fun fact: Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were first cast as the lead actors. In November 2019, Ford vs. Ferrari was made available in the US.
It was well welcomed by both the public and the critics, earning over $225 million worldwide. Particularly amazing and really appreciated were the racing scenes and the direction. Unsurprisingly, the National Board of Review named it one of the top 10 films of the year.
September 2022 revision: There aren’t many movies that can keep you on the edge of your seat and make you feel things at the same time. One such film that pushes the boundaries of storytelling is Ford Vs. Ferrari, which depicts the legendary rivalry between Ford and Ferrari in the 1960s. However, not everything depicted in the film is entirely accurate. More information about the overstated and inaccurate material presented in the film has been added to this article.
The acclaimed film Ford vs. Ferrari is a pure joy to watch. Everyone enjoys the film, whether they are car enthusiasts or wizards, but how much of this drama drenched in gasoline is fake?
The Le Mans 24 Hours
How accurately the carnage is depicted in Ford v. Ferrari’s treatment of Le Mans (and other races like Sebring) is one of the most surprising aspects of the film. Major collisions caused no fewer than seven vehicles to crash out of the 24-hour race, many of which were brought on by the rain that began to pour as night fell. There was an incident involving Ferrari racer No. 20 that included a Porsche and a French Matra MS620. Many more cars, including the Ferrari and Ford competitors featured in the movie breaking gaskets and destroying their engines, did not finish the race due to less terrifying mechanical malfunctions.
Among those terrifying mechanical issues, Miles did had difficulties closing the door of his Ford GT40 Mk II, apparently because he bent the door by smashing it on his own (helmeted) head. Despite this, Miles still managed to break numerous lap records. The car’s “brake fade” problem and the pit crew’s unconventional plan of replacing the complete front brake rotors — to the surprise of French racing officials but apparently not the strong objections of Ferrari’s own pit crew that are featured in the movie — are both real-life events. Shelby’s theft of the Ferrari team’s precise Swiss stopwatches, a flourish that is regretfully missing from the source material, did not worsen the risky, untested aspect of this attempt.
However, there was less internal fighting among the Ford crew regarding Beebe’s order for Miles to slow down so that the second- and third-place Fords could catch up for a three-way photo finish, in keeping with the numerous instances of dramatic license already reviewed. Beebe’s recommendation was accepted by Shelby at the time, however he later regretted it in light of Miles’ untimely passing a few months later. He states in Go Like Hell that “Leo Beebe and Henry Ford convinced me to allow the three cars to cross the street at the same moment, and I will always regret that decision. Ken would have won the race if he had been one and a half laps ahead. His heart was broken. Then, in August, he passed away.”
Despite being aware that he had been fucked, Miles was also more accommodating in real life than in the film. He skillfully attempted to explain to Bob Thomas of the Los Angeles Times “Be careful how you report what I said, please. For these people, I labor. They have treated me quite well.” A little hagiographic Hollywood dramatization like this, with just a little extra polish, may be appropriate for a man this affable and skilled, who was denied respect in his lifetime owing to small technicalities and a fatal accident in his late 40s.
Five laps of racing in a GT40 gets you from 18th to 3rd.
Mike Salmon and Eric Liddell’s 4.7-liter Ford GT40 was being pursued by a Matra MS630 and an Alfa Romeo T33B 2 at Le Mans in 1968.
The Ford feels what it is: stronger and heavier, even before you have traveled anywhere. The Ferrari has custom controls, an open gate gearbox, and an amazing view forward over those sculpted front wings. It feels like a delicate jewel. The Ford functions much more like a tool.
However, drawing the incorrect conclusion that the Ferrari was inevitably the more vulnerable of the two would be a mistake. Yes, if I had to crash one, I would much prefer to be in the monocoque Ford, but if I had to bet on one to last 24 hours, I would always support the Ferrari. Contrary to what I believe most people believe about American V8s, the ZF gearbox is not the strongest, and the Ford engine is easily damaged, especially if you downshift a little too early. Ferrari’s faster revving, freer spinning V12, on the other hand, could be pounded into the ground and not fail its driver.
The client Ferrari would have most certainly outperformed the customer GT40 in terms of speed, but it was a pure prototype as opposed to the Ford, which was produced in far greater quantities (dozens as opposed to a small number of 412Ps). However, it’s important to keep in mind that Ford had to wait till a 7.0-litre engine to ultimately pound its way to a performance edge over its competition.
Chris Amon and Nino Vaccarella’s Ferrari 330P4 at Le Mans in 1967, followed closely by Giancarlo Baghetti and Pedro Rodrigues’ Ferrari 412P.
My memories of the Ferrari are of a car with light steering, a super-precise gearbox, the most wonderful sound, and a sense of occasion that is rivaled by very few others in fact. I haven’t driven both on the circuit at the same time. Due to its synchromesh ‘box, the Ford is heavier to handle and shifts more slowly, but it has a sound that is equally as fascinating despite being more like Detroit thunder than Maranello song.
The Ferrari would be my first choice to drive again due of its rarity, exquisite sound, and thoroughbred-like feel. However, very few people in that era would have had that option: Ferrari only provided 412Ps to its preferred teams, including Ecurie Nationale Belge, North American Racing Team, Scuderia Filipinetti in Switzerland, and Maranello Concessionaires in the UK. Ford, on the other hand, would give everybody who wanted one a GT40. They are both wonderful automobiles.